Source http adopting adoption com What is Adoption

Source: http: //adopting. adoption. com/

What is Adoption? • Legal process in which future parents create a relationship with a child where it did not exist

Adoption Home Study • Prospective parents meet & talk with a social worker at their home (10 hours, collectively) • Social worker gathers information (family background, health of the applicants, motivation to adopt, expectations for child, etc. ) • FBI may fingerprint • Home study(3 - 6 months to complete)

Adoption Steps • • • Educate self and family members Decide the type of adoption to pursue Investigate ways to handle adoption expenses Select an adoption agency/facilitator and/or attorney Complete agency application Begin home study process Attend pre-adoption & parenting classes Be matched with or locate a child Prepare for child's arrival File a petition to adopt Finalize adoption

Adoptions Costs • $0 -$70, 000 • Depends on type of adoption • Additional expenses include – Courtroom charges – Doctor & Hospital fees – Travel expenses

Types of Adoptions • • • International Infant/Newborn Special-needs Relative Military and Overseas Teenage (only about 2 in 40)

International Adoption • • • Costs increase when parents visit the foreign country Family needs to learn about the child’s background Parents are not guaranteed a child Children are usually orphans Children are not newborns (may be under a year in age) 2 court sessions needed (one in the child’s country & one in the parents’ homeland) • Waiting period (usually 12 - 18 months) • Medical background information is often unavailable • Extensive government paperwork (help is available)

Infant/Newborn Adoption • Waiting times can last up to 2 years • Birth mothers are often involved in choosing adoptive parents (Open adoptions). • Relatively few infants are available through the agencies • Prospective parents may use an attorney (independent adoption) or go through an agency

Special-needs Adoption • Children in this category include: disabilities, race, age, sibling status, and at-risk. • Private agency (licensed & non-profit? ) • Knowledge needed about caring for children with severe special needs • Consider choosing children who may grow out of their challenges • Photo listings may be used to match a child

Relative Adoption • May only need an abbreviated home study • Treated less formally than “stranger” adoptions • State laws define "relative" by degree of relatedness (aunt, uncle, cousin, adult siblings, grandparent) • Consult attorney on specific state laws • Proper termination of parental rights of both biological parents is needed

Military & Overseas Adoption • Since military families move often, many agencies are reluctant to begin an adoption process with anyone in the service • Military families have difficulty with agency rules and criteria: lengthy residency requirements, mandatory meetings that conflict with work schedules, and home ownership

Issues to Consider • Adoption language • Sibling relationships (getting along? ) • Disabled parents (ability to care for the child? ) • Open adoption (birth parents contact with child? ) • Attachment & bonding with the child • Chance of failed placement?

Other Legal Issues • Both biological parents (or a person or agency acting in place of a parent) must agree to release all rights • Laws differ from state to state (must be researched thoroughly)